Design Tool with Damage Assets

Abstract

A tool allows a user to create new designs for apparel and preview these designs before manufacture. Software and lasers are used in finishing apparel to produce a desired wear pattern or other design. Based on a laser input file with a pattern, a laser will burn the pattern onto apparel. With the tool, the user will be able to create, make changes, and view images of a design, in real time, before burning by a laser. Input to the tool includes fabric template images, laser input files, and damage input. The tool allows adding of tinting and adjusting of intensity and bright point. The user can also move, rotate, scale, and warp the image input.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 using a garment design tool, allowing a user to create a garment design by selecting a damage asset before the garment design is manufactured;   showing the damage asset on a computer screen to the user using a previously captured image of at least one of a hole or emerging hole; and   after the damage asset is selected, allowing the user to alter a position of the damage asset, wherein as the user adjusts the position of the damage asset, the altered positioning of the damage asset is displayed on the computer screen in real time.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  comprising:
 in the garment design tool, allowing the user to alter a sizing of the damage asset, wherein as the user adjusts the sizing of the damage asset, the altered sizing of the damage asset is displayed on the computer screen in real time. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the previously captured image of at least one of a hole or emerging hole was created by
 forming a damage shape in a single color, 
 using a laser to create the damage shape on a fabric, 
 after washing the fabric with the damage shape, capturing an image of the damage shape on the fabric, and 
 using the image of the damage shape as the previously captured image. 
 
     
     
         4 . A method comprising:
 creating an image of a damage shape;   storing the damage shape in a damage asset file;   based on the damage asset file, forming a damaged region in a first material based on the damage shape;   washing the first material with the damaged region to reveal a hole;   after the washing, capturing an image of the hole in the first material that corresponds to the damage shape; and   using the image of the hole in the first material as a preview image of a damage asset that corresponds to the damage shape in a digital design tool, wherein the digital design tool allows a user to create a garment design and view a photorealistic visualization of the garment design comprising the preview image of the damage asset.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  comprising:
 in the digital design tool, allowing the user to create a garment design by selecting a garment template and the damage asset, based on the preview image of the damage asset; and 
 showing on a computer screen the preview image of the garment design as customized by the user with the garment template and damage asset. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  comprising:
 creating the damage asset on an outer surface of a garment corresponding to the garment design based on a digital input file comprising the damage shape, wherein based on the digital input file, at a location specified for damage asset, a machine forms a damaged region in a second material in a shape corresponding to the damage shape. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the first material comprises a denim and the second material comprises a denim. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the first material comprises a different shade from the second material. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the first material comprises a different weight from the second material. 
     
     
         10 . A method comprising:
 in a garment design tool, creating a garment design by selecting a garment template and a damage asset, wherein the damage asset comprises digital imagery of at least one of a hole, an emerging hole, or a rip; and   in the garment design tool and prior to manufacturing the garment design, showing on a computer screen a computer-generated photorealistic preview image in color of the garment design as customized by a user with the garment template and the damage asset, wherein the computer-generated photorealistic preview image comprises a photorealistic visualization in color of the garment design after a computer simulation of an appearance of a garment as if the garment had manufactured.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the appearance of the garment as if the garment had been manufactured by a lasing process of the garment design and after being washed by a postlaser wash. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the damage asset is created by a laser on a fabric to digitally represent the fabric having the at least one of the hole, the emerging hole, or the rip. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12  wherein the damage asset is created by
 creating a damage shape, 
 using a laser to create the damage asset on a fabric, 
 after washing of the fabric with the lasered damage asset, capturing an image of the damage shape on the fabric, and 
 using the image of the damage shape as the damage asset in the preview image of the garment design. 
 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10  comprising:
 in the garment design tool, allowing the user to alter a sizing of the damage asset relative to the garment template. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14  wherein as the user adjusts the sizing, the altered sizing of the damage asset is displayed on the computer screen in real time. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 10  comprising:
 in the garment design tool, allowing the user to alter a position of the damage asset relative to the selected garment template. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16  wherein as the user adjusts the position, the altered positioning of the damage asset is displayed on the computer screen in real time. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the damage asset comprises the rip. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the garment design comprises a design for a pair of pants. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 10  wherein the garment design comprises a design for a pair of jeans.